Khan Sheikhun
 Gas Masks instead of White Helmets |
Khan Sheikhun (also spelled Khan Sheikhoun or Khan Shaykhun)[1] is a town in the southern Idlib Governorate of northwestern Syria.
Contents
Rebel-controlled
Khan Sheikhun initially fell under control of the Syrian opposition, and in 2014 fell to Jabhat al-Nusra.[2] Deutsche Welle reported: "Idlib province, where Khan Sheikhun is located, is mostly controlled by the Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is dominated by the Fateh al-Sham Front, formerly known as the Al Qaeda affiliated Al-Nusra Front."[3]
Alleged gas attack
On 4 April 2017, the town came under a heavy air attack.[4] 86 people were killed.[5] The Russian government stated that "Syrian aviation struck a large terrorist warehouse near Khan Sheikhun that housed a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances",[6] "between 11:30am and 12:30pm", hours after the alleged sarin attack.[7] However, experts have cast doubts on this explanation and believe organophosphorus chemicals were used. As reported by a Guardian reporter on the ground, no buildings were hit near the attack epicentre, the warehouse in question was damaged and disused for the last half year and, literally, "the contamination area radiated from a hole in a road".[8]
Executed by individuals on the ground
On 11 April 2017, nuclear technology expert Professor Theodore Postol produced a 14-page interim report challenging the narrative of a White House Intelligence document (also issued on 11 April) in relation to an alleged nerve agent attack by the Syrian airforce at Khan Sheikhun in Syria's rebel-controlled Idlib province on 4 April 2017. Dr Postol stated:
- "In fact, a main piece of evidence that is cited in the document points to an attack that was executed by individuals on the ground, not from an aircraft, on the morning of April 4."[9]
Related Documents
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Pictures resurface showing US Secretary John Kerry and President Assad dining in Syria together | Article | 3 September 2013 | Heather Saul | John Kerry's volte-face: Syria is an essential player in bringing peace and stability to the region (2009). President Assad is a "thug" like Adolf Hitler (2013). |
| Document:The Trump Administration’s Syria Gas Attack Narrative Continues to Unravel | Article | 18 April 2017 | Michael Krieger | United States Government: "They Lied About Iraq; They Lied About Libya; They're Lying About Syria." |
| Document:Verdict First, Evidence Later: Khan Sheikhoun Gas Attack | article | 11 April 2017 | James O'Neill | Three days before the tragedy at Khan Sheikhoun a convoy of TOW (Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided) missiles, gas masks for up to 2000 persons and chemical warfare suits from Saudi Arabian stockpiles left Hatay in Turkey for Idlib in Syria where al Nusra are in control. |
| Document:Who has Committed the Recent Gas Attack in Syria | Article | 6 April 2017 | Jean Périer | The plan to incriminate the Syrian government for the use of chemical weapons was finalised at a meeting in an Israeli army camp deep inside the occupied territory of the Golan Heights attended by leaders of a number of terrorist groups sponsored by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Turkey, Israel, France, UK and the United States. |
References
- ↑
{{URL|example.com|optional display text}} - ↑ "Syrian Army violently disrupts al-Nusra meeting in Khan Shaykhun, Idlib". 3 May 2016. Al-Masdar News.
- ↑ "Death toll rises in Syria 'gas attack'". Deutsche Welle. 4 April 2017.
- ↑
{{URL|example.com|optional display text}} - ↑ "Assad regime responsible for ‘awful’ Syria ‘chemical’ attack: EU’s Mogherini" Al Arabiya. 4 April 2017. 5 April 2017.
- ↑
{{URL|example.com|optional display text}} - ↑
{{URL|example.com|optional display text}} - ↑
{{URL|example.com|optional display text}} - ↑ "A Quick Turnaround Assessment of the White House Intelligence Report Issued on April 11, 2017 About the Nerve Agent Attack in Khan Shaykhun, Syria"
